Guatemala: Street Children

In Guatemala over 54% of people live below the poverty line, with 13% living in extreme poverty. Nearly one-half of under-5s are chronically malnourished, one of the highest malnutrition rates in the worldCitation. 18.5% of the population aged over 15 cannot read or write.

10-year-old *Sofia’s father mistreated her mother and often failed to give them enough money for food. When Sofia joined the mentoring programme, she was sponsored by Global Care, encouraged into school, and the local team monitored the situation for Sofia and her family. They helped Sofia’s mother file a formal complaint, so she could access protection and support for herself and her children. With the support of the team through the legal processes, Sofia’s mum is now in a safer, more stable position. Throughout, Sofia went to El Centro, where her mentor and the local team provided emotional support and some stability to her life. The team said, ‘We will continue to support Sofia, with the aim of her having a stable and safe environment to grow up in.’

What are the challenges for street children in Guatemala?

Children end up on the streets because of poverty, abuse, social vulnerability or exclusion. Sadly, street life is too often short, violent and perpetuated by crime.

Children risk further abuse and exploitation, traffic accidents and involvement with violent gangs. Most beg or steal to raise money. Cold, hungry, sick and afraid, many street children in Guatemala abuse drugs as a means of escaping from the harsh reality of their lives.

How is Global Care helping street children in Guatemala?

Global Care works with local partners SKD Guatemala. They are helping street children in Guatemala City by rescuing children from the streets, and preventing children taking to the streets.

A volunteer outreach team go out each week, building trust with vulnerable young people, using a converted bus as a mobile clinic, classroom and mentoring centre, providing a safe place for children and young people. Children are encouraged to think about options for leaving or avoiding the streets. Our partners also seek to support children back into education

As relationships grow, an innovative mentoring programme gives children the support they need, over time, to consider change. The key to successful mentoring is the quality and duration of the relationship, helping a child think about how they can solve their own problems, and acquire skills to make positive choices.

Mentors gently challenge the children, helping them assess how their decisions affect their own lives, and those close to them. All mentored children are encouraged to go back to school.

As well as weekly meetings with their mentors, children are placed in a local school and receive all the study materials and uniform they need. Each mentor monitors the child’s progress in school and offers additional support when a child is struggling.

El Centro, a day centre, provides a safe place for children on the mentoring programme to seek help and support, to do homework, to play and have fun. A protection shelter also offers short-term emergency accommodation to children who need immediate removal from abusive or dangerous situations, while social care authorities explore long-term solutions.

How can I help?

Can you sponsor a child at risk of street life of Guatemala and open up the possibility of a better future for them?

The needs of the children in Guatemala are different to those in many of our other sponsorship programmes, which means the sponsorship programme functions differently. Every sponsored child becomes a part of the mentoring scheme. Mentoring is costly but highly effective when working with these vulnerable children, who are at very high risk of dropping out of school, becoming street-connected and being drawn into local gangs. Because of the costs involved, children often have more than one sponsor. Sponsorships last around two to five years, depending on the child’s willingness to participate.

When you become a sponsor, the child you support will keep in contact via letters and photos. You will also receive an annual report from the project as a whole.